There's only so much one can learn about a football player by watching him run or jump or throw in shorts and a t-shirt. But each year at this time, the NFL scouting combine leads us to try and make grand, sweeping conclusions anyway, drifting -- nearly three months before the draft! -- into paralysis by analysis.

For quarterbacks, that analysis can be particularly suffocating. Remember a month ago when Marcus Mariota seemed like the consensus top pick? Remember last week when Jameis Winston was too fat? Brett Hundley may avoid the pressure of that "top quarterback in the class" argument, but in a close competition to be the third-best prospect at the position this draft season, the former UCLA quarterback has a lot to prove in the next few months -- even if he can't do all that much beyond running, jumping, or throwing to do so.

So far, though, with quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers working out for the last few days in Indianapolis, those three things have served Hundley quite well.

Hundley dealt with his first wave of pre-draft criticism when NFL analyst Mike Mayock called him out last week for not attending the Senior Bowl. Some thought the absence would hurt his stock. But with what seemed to be an impressive showing during his throwing session on Saturday, Hundley's stock doesn't seem to have taken a hit at all.

Quite the contrary, in fact. Upon watching him throw, USA Today's Jim Corbett said Hundley "seemed to cement himself as the third quarterback in this draft." He flashed a big arm, completing one beauty of a 50-yard bomb to former Michigan wideout Devin Funchess. It was enough, Corbett thought, to potentially propel Hundley into the tail end of the first round.

After declining a Senior Bowl invite in January, Brett Hundley will be a full participant in this week's NFL scouting combine -- a golden opportunity for the former UCLA signal caller to stake his claim as the draft's third-best quarterback, behind Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota.

Scouts have their share of doubts about Hundley, though -- many of which will come out this week in Indianapolis. On his annual marathon NFL draft teleconference, longtime NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock called Hundley "crazy" for not taking part in the Senior Bowl and added that he'll need to "show up and rip it" at the Combine to prove his doubters wrong.

“I don’t think he can change what the negatives are about him by throwing 20 passes in shorts,” Mayock said. “Having said that, I think he should (participate). There’s people that think he ducked the Senior Bowl, even though there was some medical that says it was okay for him not to be there obviously.

“My perspective is he should show up and rip it. He just ought to let it go."

According to Hundley, his decision to decline the Senior Bowl invite was due to not being "100 percent." But with a chance to throw at the Combine, he'll get the chance to make Mayock and others forget about his absence.

Brett Hundley is expected to be one of the top few quarterbacks drafted in this May's NFL draft. And while more exposure might've helped him raise his sure-to-be-debated stock, UCLA's all-time leader in career touchdowns doesn't seem willing to risk his current sweet spot in the draft's QB pecking order.

Hundley turned down an invitation to appear at the Senior Bowl on Wednesday, according to CBS Sports draft expert Dane Brugler -- a move that may insulate him from criticism in the early evaluation portion of the draft, but could also keep him proving those litany of doubters wrong, with talent evaluators from every NFL team certain to be in attendance during an important week of Senior Bowl practice.

It's not unfamiliar practice for a top quarterback prospect to sit out of the various senior all-star games, but Hundley's stock is far from being set in stone at this point like the draft's other top quarterbacks -- Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston. After those two, the third quarterback drafted is anyone's guess, with Hundley in the mix, along with Baylor's Bryce Petty and Colorado State's Garrett Grayson.

Outside of Winston and Mariota, the draft class is believed to be one of the worst for quarterbacks in quite some time. And with the position depth so thin, Hundley could very well coast his way through the evaluation process and be drafted late in the first round or early in the second, depending on how he does during the NFL's scouting combine in February and in meetings with NFL teams in the months that follow.

With three years of game tape on him already from UCLA, there's certainly a lot of film for scouts to draw from. The combine and UCLA's pro day will also offer chances for NFL teams to watch Hundley in person.

Tis' the season for end-of-the year awards, and we'd be remiss if we didn't get in on the fun on the Register UCLA blog. UCLA's season has come and went, giving us plenty of time to digest what went down in Year 3 of the Jim Mora era.

It was a disappointing finale, to be sure, falling a game short of fighting for the Pac-12 title a second year in a row. But with a little more than a week still to go before football returns at the Alamo, it's nothing a few season awards can't fix.

So we bid a fond happy holidays and merry award season to our readers! Here are this year's end-of-season honors:

LINEMEN OF THE YEAR: Eddie Vanderdoes/Kenny Clark

Vanderdoes begin the season somewhat out of shape after rehabbing a broken foot in the offseason, which makes his standout campaign all the more impressive. Clark, meanwhile, dealt with constant double teams that picked up in propensity throughout the season. Together, the pair of them made for one of the best interior duos in the Pac-12, combining for 103 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss. They'll be back next year, and if coordinator Jeff Ulbrich can find better ways to get them one-on-one, they should be even more intimidating twin terrors.

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley held up his hand to the media on Friday, daring gathered reporters to analyze the injured finger which held him out of the final minutes of his final game at the Rose Bowl. Except, it was almost impossible to tell which finger was actually injured.

The injured finger in question was “huge” in the hours and days after the game, but the swelling has reduced. With some extra time to heal before the bowl game, UCLA’s all-time leading in passing touchdowns seemed confident he’ll be ready to go for his final collegiate game, when the Bruins take on Kansas State in San Antonio on Jan. 2.

Hundley was at UCLA’s practice on Friday and was able to throw, but insisted he’ll be taking it slow in his return.

"It's coming along," Hundley said. "It still has time that it needs to heal. We have time until the bowl game starts."